A degustation menu to taste all the wonders of two Michelin-starred stalwart of fine Cantonese cuisine, Ming Court

What’s new: This Mongkok two Michelin-starred stalwart of fine Cantonese cuisine has a new chef, Mango Tsang Chiu Lit, who is taking over from the former executive chef, who just happens to be his younger brother. Chef Mango is an original Hong Konger who started out in the city’s dai pai dongs and now has over 40 years notched up working in top hotels. We were taken through his degustation menu to taste all the wonders he can craft with his wealth of experience.

The menu: We began with a silky tofu featuring an opulent sprinkling of gold leaf as well as the ubiquitous black truffle of the season. Moulded into little cogs, these possessed a glossy texture that melted on the tongue. Next came shredded roast duck with Chinese black fungus and chilled cordyceps – a fungus similar to mushrooms – considered very good for health due to their richness in amino acids and protein, and with a lightness of flavour that let the duck do all the talking. We devoured the signature dim sum trio of pan-fried mushroom bun, drunken shrimp dumpling and a spring roll with minced shrimp artfully decorated into a flower blossom of crunchiness. The show-stopping chicken consommé with matsutake and bamboo pith is served in a small glass teapot to perfectly show off this golden broth that is warming and angelic on the insides. The Wagyu beef cheek is served in a thick broth of rare aged tangerine peel – another ingredient meant to be exceptionally good for your health according to traditional Chinese medicine – the meat was tender and the orange peel delicious, whether or not it was good for us. We were pretty full when we got to the noodle course but still managed to devour a good portion of the simple e-fu noodle with Irish langoustine while leaving room for the baked chocolate sago pudding, that we strangely felt could have done without the chocolate, and a gorgeous Belgian chocolate ice cream that was to die for.

The wines: One of the things we’ve always found Ming Court does exceptionally well, is pair their dishes with wines, a tricky endeavour with Cantonese cuisine. From the Veuve Clicquot paired with the tofu to the dim sum with a Riesling and the sweetest ending of a San Emilio sherry, every dish was paired with an ideal accompanier and the pur-erh tea digestif completely cleansed the palate and hopefully aided our digestion of this opulent meal.